


don’t care how it long it takes (you’d be worth the wait)

by shejustwantstowrite



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: F/M, Little Prince Au, M/M, Sungjin and Dowoon are there look for them, from twt user _95BEATS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-01-05 15:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21210854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shejustwantstowrite/pseuds/shejustwantstowrite
Summary: All the snake said to him before everything happened was he could go back home to his rose. It didn’t say that he would have to live so many lives before that could happen.orJae is the little prince and he just wants to go home to his rose.





	don’t care how it long it takes (you’d be worth the wait)

**Author's Note:**

> bringing this back from the dungeon

The little prince had been waiting for a long time. 

All the snake said to him before everything happened was he could go back home to his rose—it didn’t say that he would have to live so many lives before that could happen.

In his journey through each of his different lives, living as different people each time, he hoped that he would be home with his rose again. Along the way, he met different people, learned about their lives, and eventually, he discovered that he could sense their previous lives—maybe a side effect of his multiple reincarnations. The little prince found familiar faces he had seen in his first journey, even if most of the time, they didn’t recognize him.

The first time it happened went like this:

In his third life, as a young socialite in Victorian London, the prince met the businessman again. In this life, he was a senior partner of one of the largest banks in the city. The prince was wary of him, as he could still be the same pompous businessman he met, but the prince was glad to be wrong.

He met the banker in a luncheon, and after talking to him, the prince was relieved to find in him a kinder person. With his deep voice, he told the prince about the people he helped—children in orphanages, in particular—and how his wife and children made his difficult days in the bank better. He didn’t speak of his position or his riches even once. 

And he didn’t remember the prince.

They parted ways that night, the prince with a happy heart, relieved to see that the greedy businessman now had a better perspective this lifetime.

Then in the 1950s, he met the railway switchman again—this time in America. His name was Bob, driver of the school bus the prince’s nephew rode to and from school.

You see, the prince’s nephew was not the most popular kid in school. The boy would oftentimes return from school sullen, and preferred to stay at home, unlike his peers. He would not speak about any friends. The prince once caught the boy hiding a bruise from his mother.

Sometimes the prince wondered how children could be so mean, all the while knowing the answer—sometimes, it could be because of their environment, the influences around them, the adults they’re with.

Bob the bus driver befriended the boy. Even when the boy grew up and matured into a teenager with friends who shared his interests, he never forgot about Bob, the first friend he ever had.

One summer night, the prince noticed his nephew talking to an older man. The young man saw his uncle approaching and called him over.

“Uncle, meet Bob!”

The prince instantly sensed that the man was the railway switchman from his past life. When initial introductions were done and his nephew went inside the house to get refreshments, the prince immediately thanked the kind man.

“Oh, it was nothing. That nephew of yours is a good kid. And besides, no one deserves to be friendless,” Bob said with a smile. “It’s hard to navigate this world without a friend, and I’m glad that I could be one to him.”

After their meeting, he would often see Bob waving from his bus, helping children get home safely. When the prince had heard that the driver passed away a few years later, his heart sank. Maybe they would meet in some other lifetime, too. The prince sincerely hoped that they would.

—

It took the prince a long time to fully comprehend adults’ motivations and feelings—even though had ended up collecting years of experience, it was still difficult for him. But the few times he was an adult made him realize some things:

  1. The world can sap any innocence, hope, and imagination you have.
  2. If you let it, then life could be hard to keep going as you grow old.
  3. Adult things are hard. (The prince had a loathing for taxes, in particular.)

As he went into his different lives, the little prince felt more and more tired. There was no rhyme or reason to his journey—he didn’t know how he could sense other people’s previous lives. He didn’t know when this would stop. He didn’t know if he would ever come home to his rose.

He sometimes felt so hopeless. How many more lives did he need to live before he could see his rose again, to tell her he’s sorry, to tell her he’d be better—love her better—this time?

All he wanted was to go home to his rose.

  
  


—

  
  


Fast forward to 2018, where the little prince was Park Jaehyung, trying to navigate his life in Korea.

It wasn’t his first time being reincarnated as a Korean, but the last one had been decades ago. The fact that the rest of his family relocated in America made it harder. He had no one in this country this time around.

He studied creative writing, as the stories from his previous lives wanted to burst out of his head and turn into words on paper. There, he met new friends, learned new things (technology changed almost everything he knew), and tried to live his life as good as possible. Still, he couldn’t help but feel lonely sometimes.

His yearning would often reflect in some of his works. His classmates would tease him about it when his stories were read out loud in class. but the prince would just shrug and laugh it off. After all, there wasn’t anything he could do to ease his longing, was there?

His (100th?) life went by like that, until he met the sophomore Kim Wonpil in his junior year of college.

Wonpil was his roommate. At first, Jaehyung only knew him by name because their schedules didn’t match up and Jaehyung’s habit of staying up late in the library didn’t help.

It was two weeks into the semester when Jaehyung finally met his roommate—his roommate who proceeded to hit his arms and burst into tears at the mere sight of him.

Jaehyung couldn’t do anything but stare at Wonpil in shock, watched him as he cried, until Wonpil finally spoke.

“Don’t disappear on me again,” he kept muttering through his tears.

Jaehyung looked at Wonpil again and it clicked.

Wonpil knew him—the little prince—and Jaehyung knew him, too.

Wonpil was a pilot in his past life. The pilot Jaehyung met when he first landed on that desert. The pilot he asked to draw him a sheep, the first person he told stories to—

The one he left on that desert in order to go home to his rose.

And Wonpil remembered everything.

Jaehyung wrapped his arms around Wonpil, feeling the boy’s body tremble and be wracked by sobs once again.

He soothed Wonpil the best he could, tracing small circles on his back, all while saying his apologies and reassurances.

Once he calmed down, Wonpil removed himself from Jaehyung’s embrace. But he was still glaring at Jaehyung.

“You aren’t forgiven yet. Tell me everything,” he demanded. So Jaehyung did.

He told Wonpil everything—from his second life, to his ability to sense people’s past lives, to meeting the businessman again, to talking to Bob, to the utter confusion he had been feeling the entire time.

Wonpil was silent all throughout, a sympathetic and thoughtful look on his face.

“Jae-hyung, if you were given a choice to live just one life, forgetting everything from your past life, even your rose. Would you?” Wonpil asked, breaking the silence.

Jaehyung pondered over Wonpil’s question for a little bit. The idea of not feeling that bone deep yearning or the pain that accumulated over his many lifetimes, to not have to grieve over the people he had loved and lost while he would continue to live in renewed existences? To just have  _ one _ life, and live it to the fullest all sounded very tempting, but…

“No, I wouldn’t, Wonpil. Even though I feel like everything I went through doesn’t make any sense, I’ve also learned so many things. So I wouldn’t.”

“Even if you might not meet your rose?” Wonpil challenged.

Jaehyung paused for a moment. Wonpil got him there.

“I feel like something in me just wouldn’t be able to settle, wouldn’t allow me to rest and stop this cycle until I see my rose. Just once. Even though they may not remember me… I just want to see if they’re happy, safe, and loved. That’s all I want, and when I get that, I’m outta here,” he tried to joke to lighten the atmosphere.

Wonpil sighed and chuckled. “It is the time you lost for your rose that makes your rose so important,” he reverently whispered, to Jaehyung’s astonishment.

“You remember that? Wait, how do you even remember me in the first place?”

Wonpil looked thoughtful for a few moments before speaking. “I’ve had dreams of a little blonde boy since I was a kid. Whenever I asked my mom if I had a friend like that, she just gave me an odd look, so I stopped asking.”

“The dreams kept going—every story you told me until you disappeared… I saw them all over again. When I grew older, I realized maybe by some stroke of magic or fate, I could remember one life where I was a lost pilot meeting a little prince from far away,” Wonpil concluded with a wistful smile.

Jaehyung shook his head in combined exasperation and wonder then muttered, “The universe really likes to fuck with us, huh.”

“Bold of you to assume that it cares about our feelings,” Wonpil sassily fired back. They looked at each for a beat and then laughed until they’re catching their breaths.

Jaehyung was really happy he met Wonpil.

  
  


—

  
  


In his senior year, Jaehyung decided to apply for an internship. He got in a small publishing company, where he made friends with Kang Younghyun.

Younghyun was a junior but studied in a different university. He had a funny, biting humor and was very, very good in poetry. Aside from those, Jaehyung liked him because they’re on the same wavelength, laugh by just looking at each other, and the fact that Younghyun’s family was also overseas. It felt as if they’ve known each other for a long time, even though they only met a few months ago.

There’s something weird about him, though.

The thing about Jaehyung’s ability is that it had two levels: first level is sensing if someone have already lived before, and the second is sensing what kind of person they were in that previous life. His ability never failed him—if he got through the first level, he would get through level two.

His ability never failed him until Kang Younghyun came.

While Jaehyung sensed that Younghyun already lived before, he couldn’t get any glimpse or trace about any of Younghyun’s past lives no matter how much he tried.

Jaehyung liked to complain about Younghyun to Wonpil. “I really don’t get it, Pirrie. I couldn’t sense anything! It’s so weird,” he whined.

“Jae-hyung, just let it be. You can’t always be the mysterious one,” Wonpil replied with a chuckle. “But seriously, chill out and just enjoy for once, yeah?”

“Fine,” Jaehyung sighed. Wonpil was good in setting Jaehyung’s mind straight. The younger man knowing about him—the little prince, not just Park Jaehyung—was doing Jaehyung good.

He couldn’t thank the younger man enough for sticking around. He thanked the universe for good measure.

So Jaehyung took Wonpil’s advice. He enjoyed his time in the publishing house, even though the work sometimes became tedious and boring. He even enjoyed studying, which is a miracle in itself. He enjoyed talking to Younghyun about writing, music, and other things while they’re on lunch break—from the mundane to the deeper topics.

They got close enough for Younghyun to come out to Jaehyung as bisexual. He looked so nervous when he told Jaehyung.

“Love should never be confined into molds and norms and boxes—it’s too beautiful for that,” Jaehyung replied with a soft smile. “Don’t worry, Younghyun, your secret is safe with me,” he added, reassuring the younger man.

After that, they went to talk about the new book the publishing house was pushing.

He didn’t think about his inability to sense Younghyun’s past life for a while.

—

“What’s your ideal type?” Jaehyung asked Younghyun one lunch break. They’ve been talking about past relationships and the lack thereof on Jaehyung’s part.

Younghyun was shocked to hear that, saying that he didn’t expect someone as outgoing as Jaehyung to not have had any relationship.

“And, dude, with how good you are with words? You can make anyone swoon if you want to,” Younghyun added.

Jaehyung chuckled at that. Then sighed as he answered. “I guess…I’m waiting for the right one.”

Jaehyung hadn’t been seriously involved with anyone in any of his lives—he was more focused on living through everything and looking for his rose to do that. And, to be honest, Jaehyung felt like doing that would be like betraying his rose.

Younghyun must’ve sensed Jaehyung’s change in demeanor, so he talked about something else until they arrived at Younghyun’s ideal type.

Younghyun didn’t talk for a while, deep in thought. “Hmm, it really doesn’t matter to me. The looks, or what they wear? Irrelevant. How much they earn or what car they drive? Much, much more irrelevant. What matters is what’s inside,” Younghyun finally said. “What’s essential is invisible to the eye, after all,” he added with a shrug.

Jaehyung froze as he heard the words.

_ What is essential is invisible to the eye,  _ another voice said to him a long time ago. He looked at Younghyun with wide eyes.

His powers seemed to suddenly snap back and fully-functioned and he realized: Younghyun was the fox.

Younghyun stared back at him with confusion in his face. “Jae-hyung, why? What happened?”

Jaehyung shook off the overwhelming feeling, pasting a smile on his face. “Nothing, Younghyun-ah. Just remembered something. What were you saying again?” he asked. Younghyun didn’t look convinced but he continued talking.

It was the first time Jaehyung met the fox in all his lives. He didn’t know how much he missed the fox’s presence before it came back to him in the form of one Kang Younghyun.

He tried to appear normal and unshaken but he didn’t succeed, with Younghyun giving him looks and insisting on walking him home to his dorm.

“Seriously, I’m fine, Younghyun,” he said as he walked out of the publishing house, with Younghyun trailing behind him.

“Hyung, c’mon, just this once. Please?” Younghyun asked with a pout and puppy dog eyes. Jaehyung felt himself surrender at the sight.

“Ugh, fine,” he groaned as Younghyun cheered.

The walk to the dorm was short with their chats. The next thing Jaehyung knew, they’re facing his door. He unlocked the door and looked for Wonpil.

He turned to Younghyun. “Now that you’re here, might as well come in. Meet my roommate.” He then called for said roommate. “Wonpil, you here? We have a guest!”

Younghyun rushed to “Wait, hyung, I just wanted to drop you off, I don’t wanna impose—” Jaehyung grinned as Younghyun’s explanations were cut off when he saw Kim Wonpil come out of his room, all smiles and sunshine.

Jaehyung didn’t need his powers to sense love at first sight.

—

“Wait. So you’re telling me that I,” Younghyun said, pointing to himself, “was a fox that you,” he continued, pointing to Jaehyung, “met when you were a little prince roaming the earth millennia ago? You’ve lived multiple lives? And you remember them all?” He sounded incredulous.

Jaehyung and Wonpil decided to tell Younghyun the truth a few months after Wonpil and Younghyun got together. Wonpil said he didn’t want to lie to his boyfriend.

“And I’m sure you want him to know, too. Because of the impact he had on you,” Wonpil said, raising an eyebrow. Jaehyung nodded in agreement.

“Let’s just hope he won’t freak out and call the police on us,” Jaehyung muttered.

Wonpil patted his arm. “Ah, I have a feeling that he won’t.”

So they told Younghyun the story one day he was over their dorm. He sat on the couch, stunned into silence for a few seconds and then launched into his interrogation. Jaehyung couldn’t blame him—if it were him in Younghyun’s position, he would act the same, too.

“And that you, Wonpil, met him? That you were a pilot and met him in the desert when you were stranded? Ages ago?  _ In your past life? _ ” Younghyun continued.

“Yes to all of that, Younghyun. Believe it or not, it happened,” Jaehyung replied. He wished he could do more to make Younghyun believe them.

Wonpil reached and held Younghyun’s hand. “I know it’s hard to believe and I wish we could provide more proof, but Younghyun,” he said, looking into his boyfriend’s eyes with a grave expression, “we’re not playing pranks with you or anything like that. I hope you could give us the benefit of the doubt.”

Younghyun was silent for a few moments, clearly trying to wrap his head around everything Jaehyung and Wonpil told him. He just looked Jaehyung, then Wonpil, and then back at Jaehyung.

Finally, he sighed and squeezed Wonpil’s hand. “Okay. I’ll give you that. I can’t say that I fully believe what you said but it kind of made sense? Why you two go so close so soon. Why Jae-hyung sometimes speaks like an old man,” he said with a slight smirk. Jaehyung breathed in relief.

“That is because he  _ is  _ an old man,” Wonpil replied, laughing. Jaehyung narrowed his eyes at the couple.

“Yah! I’m still your hyung, have some respect!” he complained. 

Wonpil smirked mischievously and looked at Younghyun. “We shouldn’t even call you by your first name,” he said.

“We should call you harabeoji!” Younghyun shouted and cackled, sharing a high five with Wonpil.

Jaehyung complained again but he was laughing as well. He could take the teasing if that meant Younghyun would stay.

—

“What would you do if you meet your rose?” Younghyun asked one night after a long day of editing and reading manuscripts. They decided to go to a coffee shop and wind down before going home.

After their respective graduations, Jaehyung and Younghyun proceeded to work at the publishing house they did their internship in. Jaehyung was a literary agent and Younghyun was an editor.

Younghyun, slowly but surely, believed Wonpil and Jaehyung. Over time Younghyun was sure that two weren’t just pulling a prank on him, that everything they said—from Jaehyung’s reincarnations, to his rose, and Wonpil’s visions when he was a kid—all of those were real. Seeing Jaehyung yearning profoundly for someone for so long cemented it.

Jaehyung took a sip of his coffee, contemplating his answer. “Depending on the situation. Ah, maybe, just, say hi? Or just stare? Or cry? I really don’t know,” he replied, shrugging at Younghyun’s raised eyebrow.

Jaehyung had imagined so many scenarios if ever he met his rose. They ranged to pure fairy tales to downright nightmares. At this point, he didn’t want to imagine anything anymore—if it did happen in this lifetime, then so be it. If it didn’t, then it wouldn’t.

“Younghyun, I don’t even know if they’d remember me or not,” he continued with a sigh. “Not that I care if they remembered me or not. I just want to know if they’re okay. I said something similar to your boyfriend a few years ago. He asked what if my rose doesn’t remember me. I just want to know if they’re happy, if they’re taken care of.”

“What if they’re already married, or in a relationship? What then?” Younghyun asked.

Jaehyung shrugged again. “Then so be it. It doesn’t matter to me. As long as they’re okay, I’m okay. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy,” he answered with a small smile.

Younghyun sighed. “If you say so, hyung.”

While it might be hard to believe, Jaehyung would stand by what he said. If there was something he truly learned and realized in his long, long existence, it was this:

Happiness and sacrifice could be summed up in one word: love.

It would surely hurt if ever Younghyun’s assumptions were true, but it’s nothing that Jaehyung couldn’t handle. After that time he spent neglecting his rose, he wouldn’t begrudge them the chance to find love and care from other people.

It was the least he could do for his rose.

—

“My friend has a gig tonight. Come with us!” Wonpil said over breakfast. They finally had time to eat together since it was the weekend.

“You really should, hyung. We’ve seen her a few times and she’s really good,” Younghyun agreed.

Aside from writing, Jaehyung loved music. He’s played in bands and orchestras in his previous lives—something about the melodies and rhythm putting Jaehyung at ease.

Despite being in different professions, Jaehyung, Younghyun, and Wonpil all shared an immense love for music. When they have the time, they went to noraebangs, concerts, or bars in Hongdae to watch good artists and to sing their hearts out. They knew that he wouldn’t pass up on their offer to hear good music.

“Of course I’ll go with you. What time should we head out?” he asked before taking a bite of his breakfast.

“Is six okay?” Wonpil asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just knock on my door then, I need to do some work,” Jaehyung said as he got up from the table. He went to the sink and washed his dishes, putting it on the rack after.

He turned to see Wonpil pouting and Younghyun looking at his boyfriend like a fool. “It’s a weekend! We can watch drama reruns! I wanna know what happened to Secretary Kim!” he complained.

“Yeah, Jae-hyung. Pirrie and I will watch dramas all day until we have to go out. Come and join us,” Younghyun added with his puppy eyes in play.

Jaehyung sighed. He really couldn’t resist Wonpil’s pouting and Younghyun’s puppy eyes.

“Fine, okay, I guess work could wait,” he acquiesced. The other two cheered and rushed their breakfast, washed their dishes and run towards the living room.

Jaehyung shook his head while he followed, huffing a little laugh. He sat in between the two of them and put each arm in their shoulders. 

“So, what are we watching?” he said with a grin.

While Wonpil and Younghyun were debating on which drama to watch, Jaehyung leaned back and savored the moment.

The next thing Jaehyung knew, hands were shaking him gently. He opened his eyes and saw Wonpil leaning over him. Wonpil was already dressed to go.

“Hey, wake up,” he said softly. “You still want to go with us? You look tired,” he continued, looking worried.

Jaehyung shook off the lethargy that came with having just woken up. He rose from the sofa and walked towards his room. “Yeah, of course. Just wait a bit,” he said.

He opened his closet and got the clothes his hand touched first. He changed, put his shoes on, faced the mirror, and fixed his hair. He opened the door and saw Wonpil and Younghyun waiting on the couch.

“Sorry for the wait. Let’s go,” Jaehyung said. The two stood up and they all went outside.

—

The bar they went to is small and cosy. A band was playing as they grabbed seats and called a waiter for drinks.

“What time is your friend playing?” Jaehyung asked Wonpil.

Wonpil checked his phone and said, “Maybe 7:30?” Jaehyung nodded in understanding.

Time flew by past as they enjoyed the music and each other’s company. A duo of two girls next stood up on stage, playing a good mix of English and Korean covers.

“Ooh, Kehlani, nice choice,” Younghyun said as the duo sang Kehlani’s Honey.

Jaehyung sang along to most of the songs. The duo had beautiful voices and nice harmonies, showing a long time of doing this.

“Ah, Jangmi! Why didn’t you text me? I would’ve saved you a seat!” Wonpil suddenly said. Jaehyung looked up and saw a girl with a guitar bag slung over her shoulder.

The girl has long hair pulled back in a ponytail. She had kind eyes and a friendly smile.

She’s beautiful.

“No, it’s okay, Pirrie, I’m due to go on stage anyway. Hi, Younghyun-oppa!” Jangmi told the couple before she turned towards Jaehyung. “Oh, hello! I’m Son Jangmi, Wonpil’s childhood friend. You must be Jaehyung-ssi, nice to meet you! Pirrie told me so much about you!” she said with a bow. Then she extended a hand towards him.

He returned the gesture. Then he took her hand and he felt a piece of himself settle after the longest time. He finally felt at peace with himself. Jaehyung’s eons of waiting, yearning, and searching had finally come to an end.

He heard his heart sing,

_ Finally, you found your rose. _

_ Finally, you can rest. _

_ Finally, you’re home. _

_ You’re home. _

Tears quickly rose up to his eyes. He blinked them back and smiled widely at her with the happiest smile he had ever smiled in his long existence.

“Hello, I’m Park Jaehyung. Nice to meet you.”

**Author's Note:**

> let’s be friends on twt: [ monniemoonie](www.twitter.com/monniemoonie)


End file.
